Cold for the final days of 2013

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FINAL DAYS OF 2013: Colder air slips in today as weak high pressure rolls in for a day or two. It’s breezy and chilly today with temps holding in the middle 30s for highs before dropping into the 20s for late afternoon and early evening hours. We’re mostly cloudy to partly cloudy later. Overnight, we drop to the low 20s with the breeze relaxing.

Tuesday we’ll keep the clouds as a clipper races to the north of us. It’s breezy again and we may see some flurries too. Temps make it to the middle 30s once again.

CELEBRATIONS: It’s turning colder for New Years Eve plans at night. Temperatures will drop to the middle 20s with breezy conditions adding to the chill, making it feel like the teens. If you’re heading to any outdoor events, wear layers and dress warmly.

By New Years Day, highs will only reach the low 30s under partly cloudy skies. A few flurries may glide through as a warm front slips north.

END OF WEEK QUESTIONS: We continue to watch many differing solutions for how the first few days of 2014 will pan out. A complex storm system develops Thursday into Friday. Two pieces of energy will be in play, from the northern and southern branches of the jet stream. If they stay separate, this system is weaker and faster. If they merge, the storm is stronger and it moves slower. For now, we’re erring on the side of a weaker, non-merging system so we have a rain to snow chance for Thursday with some clearing by Friday. This is a low confidence forecast, so please keep checking back for updates all week.

Regardless, brutally cold air will slam in behind this system Friday into Saturday. Expect an arctic cold day Friday with winds adding to the extreme chill. Highs will be stuck in the teens. Saturday is cold too with 20s for highs as we clear out, with warming to the upper 30s by Sunday.

Enjoy the last few days of 2013!

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” – Helen Keller